Method of making soles for boots and shoes.



938,829. Patented Nov. 2, 11909.

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f) /l/ I I l gli/' @www @Zugwa i ods o f i State of lOSCAR C; D`AVIS, OF BROCKTON, MAISSACHvUSETTS.

METHOD or MAKING sonas ron Boo'rs AND srrons.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 2, 1909.

Application led January 17, 1908, Serial No, 411,276.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR C. DAvis, of Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and Massachusetts, have invented cerand useful Improvements in Meth- Makin of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates chiefiy to the manufacture of inner soles for boots and shoes, such as those adapted for either a welted or McKay sewed shoe. `L

The invention is intended chiefly to protain nenT vide an inner sole which while reasonablyv strong, durable and eiiicient as such, is capable of being manufactured at less expense than a sole composed wholly or in part of` leather. i

Inner soles for welted shoesv are now often made of a body portion or layer of leather and a reinforcing member or members of canvas or other material applied to the body portion in such manner as to engageI the inseam stitches that attach the inner sole to the upper and welt.

My invention so far as it is applied to the production of a reinforced inner sole, relates to the said body portion, and consists in a solev or sole-shaped body composed of sheet fibrous material, the fibers of which are not4 interwoven,

'the usual manner of forming the material known as felt, the said bodybeing adapted to receive attaching stitches. In inner soles for welt shoes this adaptation is effected by forming a channel, or dividing the margin of the sole into a lip and a feather, the lip being turned from one side of the-sole to receive the inseam stitches. The fibers composing the stitch-engaging portion of the body, are additionally bonded and stiiiened by means of any suitable'bonding and stifeningmaterial, preferably a solution ofshellac or other suitable gum, although any other suitable material may be employed for this purpose, the object being to increase the tensile strength of the fibers by increasing the bond of union between them, and to stiifen the material so tliat,like leather, it is adapted to be readily acted on by channeling and other tools used in the manufacture of soles, the stiifeningalso enabling the above-mentioned lip to retain the form imparted to it,

. Without yielding Soles for Boots and Shoes,

and are preferably wool or other so- 'and' stilfening material or called felting fibers artificially bonded after Figs. 4, 5 and 6 represent sectional views' and also enabling the sole to withstand, or buckling, the Vressure exerted on it by a sole leveling mac in'e.

The invention may also be employed in the production of an inner sole for a welt shoe,which is composed Wholly of felt without reinforcement, 'and of a felt inner sole for McKay work with. or without reinforcement.

AThe invention consists in vthe Aimproved 'method of making inner 'soles hereinafter described' and claimed.

Of the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specificat1on,-Figure 1 represents a plan view of a sole body which may be a blank for a welt inner sole, or a complete McKay inner sole, composed of noninterwoven fibers artificially bonded by the process of assembling the fibers, and additionally bonded4 and` stiffened vby a suitable composition. Fig.`2 represents a transverse section showing the sole channeled to form a marginal feather and lip, the latter being ent from one side of the sole, theentire bodyof .the inner sole being impregnated with a bondn and stidening material or composition. ig. 3- represents a view similar. to Fig. 2, showing only the marginal portion of the sole treated with a bonding composition.

showing means for reinforcing the felt body.

v Fig. 7 represents a sectional view of a Mc- Kay inner sole.

The same characters of reference indicate the same parts in all the figures.

In carrying out my invention when felt is used as the material, I form from a sheet of ordinary felt, a sole-shaped body a. Whenl the body c is used for the inner sole of a welt shoe, its margin is channeled to form a lip 2 and a feather 3, the lip being adapted to receive -the usual inseam stitches that connect the inner sole with the upper and welt. When the body a is intended for use as the inner sole of a McKay served shoe, it is not necessarily channeled, the stitches lying on one side of the sole. The felted fibers forming the stitch-engaging portions of the body a are, in accordance with my invention, treated with a bonding and stitching material which impregnates the Said portions, and is of such nature that when 'zoA los

I dried, it will stiien the I txrevenlf portions to which itis applied. A suitable material for this purpose isa solution of .shellac or other suitable gum', although any othervsuitable bonding andstiifening pgyed. The additional bond 'of union thus Aa orded between thebers of the portion ,of- 'the sole which enga strengthensthesaid portion and enables it ge the stitches,

to morer effectively support `tlie stitches, and P themv from pullin' .,through the tnaterial of the body a. 'Ah ther advantage resultin vfrom the described-treatment, 1s

Y retain'the shape im showing a reinforcing member .com

of the material sothat thez'li the sti -ening 2 when bent from the side of the sole w arted to it, the lip bein bent 1while the bon material is in a' lso `:ondition or before it is ardened bying.

In Figs. 4., 5.ai1d .6 I show reinorcing. members applied to the sole, `Figs.`4 and '5 a layer 6 of canvas or other suitab e material covering one side' of the sole and feather,-

, 'and covering both sides of the lip 2.,` In

5- I show in addition to the layer 6 a rein- -forcin cord-'or strip 7 applied to the inner side Ao the lip 2, and covered by the layer 6. In'` Fig. 6 I" show a reinforcin layer 8 appliedrto the outer side of the odyf a. T e

on g may .permeate tended to re resent the-extent tov which the said materia penetrates the felt body. In Figs. 3' andf7 the heavy'se'ction'lines at'the marginahportions of the body a` are in-j tended to represent the 'extent of penetra-y tion ofthe bonding and stiieningmaterial, the lighter section lines :indicating the central re 'onofthe body which is not stiiy bonded only ythe `or1g`inal`felting opera.-

-bued or finished to tion so that it possesses herent elasticit of the felt, and constitutes a cushion'for the foot:

lon'inay howeverbe partially stifened sufciently to enable it A,to withstand, without ielding or buckling, the pressure impar-ted y'a sole levelin vmachine, without bei'ng deprived of all its inherent elasticity. When the entire body a is permeated by the bond# ing' and stiiening material, the stiffness thus ,v

imparted to it not onl enables the body to withstand,withoutyil din or buckling, .the

ressure imparted by a soleutfalso 4enables-,it to be channeled when the bondin gmaterial is dry and hard, and

further' ena les the 'surfaces of the body to be scoured, by vay sand paperv roll, and thus resemble leather, the

,body being colored, if desired, in imitation of leather.

When a welt inner sole constructed in accordance with my invention is channeled while the bonding material is dry and hard,

.bonding material before material may be em-l fibersof which are assembled as in the' sheet being for the 4body osed of and stiifening f material employed the'entire bodyl a.- In Figs. 5 and 6 the heavy section lines` are m-' on bein'g'left with its fiberssubstantially the in- The saidy central re' eveling machine,

seam

the lip may be softened I it is bent, the lip being bent while in a limp condition, and causedto retain its bent form by the subsequent hardenin of the bonding material.

I find that fe t. treated as described is an by a solvent of the effective substitute for leather for inner'.

soles, and .is much less expensive.

The `fibrous s heetv material employed. by

me, whether the same be felt orpaper, is composed of a fibrous sheet, the fibers o'v c ially bonded or united by ing process, when eltis employed, and by fthey ordinary pa er-making process, when paper is employ It is thus distinguished rom leather,

fibers of which are interwoven.' The said fibrous sheet material is much "cheaper than" leather and textile fabric,

ened as described has the advantage over textilefabric of beingadapted to'be chan-:-

neled, buifed and otherwise treated in the same way that leather is ufacture of soles. It rovides a very-acsheet of paper the the stitch-engaging portions of the'sole o the sole has'the samejv the fibers of which areznat-'l urally united, and from textile fabric, ,theI

and when stiif treated in the mam I am, therefore, enabled .to furnish a durable and f desirable innersole at a cost considerably. less than that of an inner sole composed- .wholly or4 in part of leather.

which are not interwoven, and amarti@ the ordinary feltv ceptable substitute for' eather in the manufacture of inner soles.

The stiiening material solub ture,

highways, w me ting snow.v The effectiveness of the stiig enin'g material as a means of supporting the stitches and preventing them from pul ing through the material of the body a is not therefore liable `to be decreased by water 'such as that vofwater' on pavements,

which is. ordinarily encounteredby.` a boot or shoe. .Shellac, the stiifeningf material above s althoug suitable bondin cied, has th's water proofquality, as hereinbefore stated, any'other .and stiiening material may 'be em loyed. en the ,invention is practiced infmaking a channeledy sole,.the lip formed ,by `theI channel may vbe softened b any suitable solvent 'of the water proof bond inand stiiening y the term inner sole as used in the claim I mean to designate either aninnei 'sole composed entirely of fibrous material,

l p employed is preferabl -waterproof, that is to say, it is not e in water at a relatively low tempera-y material, such as alcohol.

etc. 'resulting from rain,or from las harden, channeling the sole While the said material is hard,- to forma lip, softening the material in the said lip, bending the lip from the sideof the sole While the lip is soft, and then allowingthe material in said lip to harden.

In testimony whereof I have affixed-my signature,.in presence of two Witnesses.

' OSCAR' C. DAVIS.

Witnesses;

C. F. BROWN, P.. W. PEZZE'ITI. 

